Environment Protection Agency (EPA), on Sunday, urged the public to exercise caution while docking boats, noting that the frequency of manta rays and spotted eagle rays dying and sustaining injuries due to entanglements in mooring lines are on the rise.
Requesting relevant persons to pay closer attention while establishing mooring systems, EPA reminded the public that such species of marine megafauna are crucial to the Maldives’ environment and economy, and a collective effort of the community is required to ensure their protection of the species.
With the increasing number of mooring lines deployed throughout the country, the entanglement of megafauna such as manta rays and other marine life are on the rise, resulting in injury and death of wildlife. Photo: @MantaTrust
1/2 pic.twitter.com/bX9wLwbPeP— EPA Maldives (@EPAMaldives) January 17, 2021
EPA stressed that all species of rays are protected from June 16, 2014, onwards, under Section 4 of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, adding that the two species of the manta ray found in the Maldives are on the red list of “vulnerable” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Maldives is one of the few spots in the entire world where Manta Rays gather in schools of large numbers and exhibit feeding frenzies, attracting several visitors, locals and foreigners alike, travelling to catch a glimpse of the graceful marine beasts.
Manta rays are obligate ram ventilators, meaning that they need to swim constantly to “breathe”. Therefore, entanglement in a mooring line rapidly leads to asphyxiation and death. Unfortunately, manta rays cannot swim backwards, and they often cannot see a thin mooring line directly in front of them as they swim forward.
According to Manta Trust, approximately 10 per cent of the Maldives reef manta ray population, estimated at around 5,000, suffer from sub-lethal injuries resulting from fishing line entanglements.
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Source URL: Google News
